Notes and Editorial Reviews

Leifur Thórarinsson (1934-98) was an Icelandic composer whose musical vision--to judge by this disc--easily matches anything being done today in any of the Scandinavian countries. His music is technically accomplished but is decidedly postmodern in both spirit and execution. Few elements of Romanticism can be found in his writing beyond the occasional nod to modern jazz or popular music (especially his Symphony 2). Even then, those moments are nuanced by his attention to the work's overall tone and momentum. If anything, Thórarinsson's orchestration and his attention to thematic development resembles that of Leif Segerstam; his stylistic diversity is reminiscent of Alfred Schnittke. But Thórarinsson's not quite aRead more polystylist; these elements have more to do with the proximity of Iceland to America. And although Thórarinsson was not by any means a jazz composer, he was influenced by jazz composers, especially Miles Davis.

That said, the performance values here are very high. The Icelandic Symphony Orchestra is quite adept at Thórarinsson's difficult music and the sonics are excellent, especially for Symphony 2. The soloist in the Violin Concerto is Sigrún Edvaldsdóttir whose approach is both confident and aggressive; she seems absolutely fearless. Also on this disc is a 14-minute radio interview with the composer, but it's in Icelandic. Oh well, not to worry: there is enough good music here to make this disc a worthwhile addition to any curious postmodernist's collection.
--Paul Cook, ClassicsToday.com Read less